Taneycomo Trout - December 17, 2016

Friday December 16th - 9:30 PM:

Our fishing party left Jake's house at 9:30 PM after the girls arrived home from a performance of the Nutcracker in Lawrence. We had Jack stretched out in the back seat of the GL 450, Polar Express on the small video screen and snacks at hand we headed southeast toward Missouri. In Belton we wheeled off for coffee, it would be a late one. The two bedroom condo unit looked pretty inviting at 1:30AM and we all turned in.

Saturday December 17th - 7:15 AM:

Morning had us up and drinking coffee in anticipation of the 50 degree weather and a day on the river below Table Rock Dam.  We warmed our coffee at McDonald's on route 76, made a fuel stop, then to Chuck's fly shop for some flies. We picked up some brown scuds and peach eggs then headed to the middle parking lot near the hatchery.      

The river was down, this was the first time that I had fished a minimum flow on Taney. The fast flowing current and smooth drifts when they are running water was gone and the water resembles a shallow lake more than a flowing stream. We put the rods up and waders on then followed the well worn path to the area above the second steam outlet from the hatchery. Fish were moving and feeding but it was tough fishing. I managed one 16 inch rainbow on a scud, Jack and Jake hooked and lost a couple of fish but it was clear that we did not have the right combination down on this trip. All of the egg and scud drifting experience did not work for us in this case, as with many waters, time and persistence turn a person into a good fisherman, this was one of those days.

At 11AM Jack and I met up with Jay our realtor from Keller Williams to look at some condo property in Fall Creek and Pointe Royale areas. Jack is thinking about picking upp a place down here. We stopped off at the clubhouse grill for lunch and ran into Buck Trent the banjo picker, we had a good chat with him and then took Jake a patty melt and fries, he had stayed behind to fish and the temperature was dropping fast. 

I suited up again and went to try a woolly bugger and soft hackle tripped, no fish.  There were a couple of fisherman at the second outlet creek catching fish, so I shamelessly asked what they were catching them on. It turned out that in these conditions, small and light was the key. I went to 6x tippet and some 18-20 gray midges. Hooked about 5 at the outlet to confirm their effectiveness and then rolled up my gear.

We drove to Springfield in a freezing drizzle, temperature around 28 degrees, we stopped and replaced the wiper blades and filled up the washer fluid. By Clinton, Mo heading north the temperature had dropped to 17 and a heavy snow was blowing in from the northwest.  By Lawrence at 10:30 PM the temp was at 6 degrees with a strong wind pushing drifts as we rolled into the driveway. A winter get away and 25 hour turn around. Safe home.